


A Grand Gesture

by lady_meatball



Series: A December to Remember [2]
Category: American (US) Actor RPF, Chris Evans (Actor) RPF
Genre: F/M, Gen, K C & the Sunshine Band, K&C
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 10:40:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10660878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_meatball/pseuds/lady_meatball
Summary: Katie leaves to head back to Vegas for the last few days at her other jobs and to start packing up her life there with her birthday on the horizon and the Holidays not far behind; Chris has a moment of gravity with how quickly things have been moving, and he sets about getting his surprises ready for Katie.





	A Grand Gesture

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Amy for being Beta!
> 
> Warnings- Slight angst, but mainly fluff. Excessive amounts of $$ being spent.

 

 

 

[Originally posted by haidaspicciare](https://tmblr.co/ZZ1zKu27lwpYs)

The rest of Friday night was spent tangled up together, knowing that Katie’s flight was an early one and they only had so much time before having to say ‘see ya soon’ yet again. They talked, they dozed, they woke long enough to make love again before settling back to a comfortable silence of semi-consciousness before finally calling it a night.

When the alarm went off at 3:45 AM, Chris moaned and groaned, protesting the end of her quick trip; rolling over, he blanketed Katie’s body, pinning her to the mattress and preventing her from moving from the warmth and comfort of not only his bed, but from himself.

“ ** _Nooo…_** ” He whined, “ _Don’t leave…_ ”

“I…I have too.” Katie yawned as she turned her alarm off on her phone. “I don’t _**want to**_ , but I _have to_ …three more shifts left before I’m finished at the salon and Starbucks, then I get to focus on my apartment…”

“What if I hire somebody to take care of all that? You can just call and quit, and stay here…with me?”

“Because I already committed to doing the right thing, and even though I know you mean it with the _best_ intentions, Chris…it’s not fair to ask me to do that, baby…” Katie told him, her hand setting her phone on the bed beside her hip to allow her to scrub a finger along her eyes. She was right, it wasn’t fair to her to continue pushing the subject when they were getting married in roughly three weeks…it wasn’t fair to _her_ , to the _obligations_ she had committed to following through on, and especially to their _relationship_.

“ _I know_ …” Chris grumbled, growing more and more surly by the moment. “I just…saying goodbye is getting harder and harder the closer we get to you becoming my wife.”

“How do you think _I_ feel?” She asked softly, her hand petting his messy bed head style back off his forehead; her lips pressed to the skin there, and he felt a smile pull at the corners of his mouth when he noticed she didn’t pull back to speak, her mouth barely moving as she said, “I don’t like sleeping alone, not now…not when I know what it’s like to fall asleep listening to your heartbeat, to rest assured that no matter what the dream, you’ll chase away the bad and bring we only the good, if not the _weird_ …I hate having to say goodbye, Chris, but being an adult sucks sometimes…it’s the _stupidest_ decision we ever make, ‘ _growing up_ ’…”

“But sex makes up for it…” Chris interjected, burying his face into Katie’s neck; he felt the rhythmic motion of her chuckling underneath his face and chest, making him smile. “Sex _**definitely**_ makes up for it.”

The glow of her phone illuminating the dark confines of the master bedroom Chris had called his own for the longest time, but now, it was Katie’s as well, the small handful of days before it became official nothing more than a formality, the bright light making Chris squint.

“Are you trying to tell me something…?” Katie asked on a gentle chuckle before adding, “Because…if you make it _quick_ , _we’ve got some time before we have to leave_ …”

“ _How_ quick?” Chris asked, lifting his face from the crook of her neck where he was busy nuzzling her with peppered kisses over her naked skin.

“Ehhh… _thirty?_ -” she sighed, telling him she was debating internally with herself before adding, “- Aww hell, _I can shower when I get back to Vegas_ …forty-five minutes before I have to get dressed and throw my clothes in my bag.” Katie admitted, her left hand trailing her fingertips over his scalp, playing in his hair. “An hour and fifteen before we have to leave for LAX…”

“I can work with that…” He smiled, wagging his left eyebrow.

“ _Why_ do you think I set my alarm so early?” She grinned widely, crooking her finger for him to come closer. “ _Not so I could shower_ , that’s for sure…”

* * *

Standing at the curb, in the cold morning air, Chris fought the frown he wore, trying to put on a brave face, but he had been completely honest earlier…saying goodbye was becoming harder and harder when the ‘finish line’ was in sight. What he hadn’t been entirely honest about was knowing what he had in store for his future wife…

Katie heaved a heavy sigh, looking up at Chris with sad eyes; her hands, bunched into fists, knocked lightly on his chest, covered in a plain blue faded sweatshirt.

“I better go… **before** you get spotted.” She pointed out, and Chris nodded infinitesimally.

“Pretty soon, we won’t have to keep saying goodbye at drop-off curbs ya know…” He could feel his heart aching at having to see her off yet again, and he could tell she was just as affected as he was, the only problem? She was hiding it better than he was.

“No, we will, but it won’t be because _I_ have to go home, _you’ll_ be going to work…it’ll still hurt, having to say goodbye at the airport when I’m your…”

[Originally posted by marveltho](https://tmblr.co/ZUEoHs22OUDll)

“ _Shhhh_ …I know.” Chris quieted Katie, pushing his finger to her lips. “You better go…Officer Stick-up-his-ass looks agitated…I’ll-” Chris grumbled, grabbing her chin between thumb and forefinger to hold as he landed a series of kisses to Katie’s lips, “- _see_ … _you_ … _soon_.” 

Brushing the pad of his thumb over her jaw, Chris looked miserable as he stared deep into her eyes which matched his sadness. “I love you, Tinkerbell.”

Her smile was accompanied by watery eyes, finally showing a crack in her stoicism.

“I love you too, Boomer…” Katie admitted, her voice cracking slightly as she stepped into his embrace for one more kiss and a tight hug before stepping back and beginning her walk to the main desk of the Southwest terminal; she kept her eyes trained on Chris the whole time, only ever breaking contact to glance at her surroundings and find the electric doors.

A sharp, high pitched blast from the security agent patrolling the drop-off and pick-up lanes had Chris breaking from the sad cloud of depression settling over him at Katie’s departure, and after the man sharply pointed at him and waved him to move along, Chris jumped back behind the wheel and pulled away from the curb, taking as much time as he could manage getting away with in the process to keep Katie in his sights while she checked in at the counter.

[Originally posted by mxsiclyrics](https://tmblr.co/ZGUaZk27-bNMb)

He was sitting at a stoplight on Santa Monica Blvd, the sun beginning to paint the December sky as it peeked over the Hollywood Hills when he felt the well of emotions bubbling inside him become too much, and he leaned into the door of the SUV, his hand covering the lower half of his face as he began crying.

“ _Not even **three fahking months** …and she’s the **most important thing** in my world…and I’m not even going to be able to spend Christmas with her…I just…_ ” He said out loud, voice soggy and heart aching at the thought. The thought of his friend’s wedding two days after Christmas popped into his mind, and Chris felt a sudden surge of anger inflate in his chest. Pounding his fist against the steering wheel in frustration, Chris let a string of color curses loose.

[Originally posted by theonewiththevows](https://tmblr.co/ZScHCy1hhLu__)

“Right now, I really _fahking hate you_ , Brian, you _**mothafahking cahksucka**_ …we aren’t even **_THAT_** close, you just wanted me as a groomsman, I _**fahking know it**_ …picking me over Scott…”

That was when the idea began to blossom in his mind.

“ _Mothafahkah_ …Scott… _he_ -” A horn honking loud and long broke Chris from his moment of  mentally checking this new idea for any possible problem; “- _ **SHIT!**_ ” he cursed, flustered as he picked his foot up from the brake and accelerated, heading home to the now empty house with only leftover gravy to fill the lonely hole in his heart and gut while he figured out the best way to go about his new plan.

Walking into the house, it felt cold and wrong without the warmth Katie brought to it, setting Chris off on his hollow downward spiral all over again, but he felt his phone vibrate in his hand as he set his keys and wallet on the island in the kitchen.

**_Hey Butthead, just finished filming what you wanted, file is uploading and will be in your inbox shortly. XO_ **

**Thanks Carl. I owe you.**

_**Yeah, you do…and Shanna too, she helped with the rig. Katie make it to the airport already?** _

**Just got back from dropping her off at the airport :’(**

_**You’re gonna see her in a few days!** _

**I know…I’m just…getting really tired of having to say goodbye on airport curbs and not seeing her for long stretches. It’s really starting to get to me, sis.**

_**What do you have planned for today? Go do something fun…go to Disneyland! Can’t be sad and depressed in Disneyland, that’s a rule!** _

**Ya know what…I think you have a point…I’ll head down to Anaheim later and just go walk the parks. Clear my head. Thanks Carl.**

Signing off from his brief conversation with his sister, Chris looked around the kitchen and living room; Katie had been right, _without_ Dodger there the house was eerily quiet, and now without Katie there as well, it was completely miserable. **HE** was completely miserable he noted as he leaned against the counter of the kitchen island, arms braced wide, his phone still clutched in his fist as he let his head hang forward..

The slight vibration of her email notification alerting him to something from his VIP list of contacts told him the file Carly sent had reached his inbox.

Turning his face ever so slightly, Chris eyed the device for a solid minute, thinking, ‘ _Video journal. Record this, so she can see how much she means to you, dipshit…it’ll only make that video better in the long run, and if it doesn’t…you can always leave it out._ ”

Blowing a breath through pursed lips, Chris stood up and cleared his throat as he wiped a knuckle under one eye, then the other to collect the latest emotion welling in his eyes before walking off to grab his MacBook.

* * *

Chris got his laptop as well as the living room situated, making sure the blinds and curtains were open to let in the grey, muted light of the overcast December morning in before taking a seat in the arm chair at the end of the coffee table, showing the backyard and his view of the valley below in the background.

Licking his lips, Chris took a deep breath and clicked record to begin filming.

“Hey Babe…it’s me…” Chris said without much humor. He was leaned forward, with his arms resting on his knees, one hand supporting his chin and partially covering his mouth. “It’s Saturday, December 10th…and here I am now, back in L.A…” he explained, looking around the room whilst waving a hand in front of him to confirm it was his house.

_‘ **OUR** house…_’ he thought, and his heart throbbed painfully, making him swallow the lump in his throat before clearing it to continue his recording with his best attempt at a tiny smile, but he knew she’d see right through him, so he stopped fighting the sadness as he looked directly into the camera lens.

“I _just_ got home from dropping you off at LAX and it’s-” Chris said, pausing long enough to clear his stuffy nose before going on, telling her as he glanced to the screen of his phone to check the time, “-7:30ish, in the morning. You’re probably boarding your plane right now, or-” The heaviness at narrating this moment got the better of him, and Chris felt his chin pinch and quiver as a frown weighed his face down, showing Katie exactly how he was feeling, “-getting ready to, right about now… _I miss you_. It’s been a little over an hour since I watched you walking into the airport, and I just haven’t felt right since you slipped out of my fingertips.”

Exhaling in a rush, Chris brought his finger to his eye once more, and collected the pooling tears before they could slip over the barrier and roll down his cheek. Opening his eyes, he looked into the camera straight on and willed a happier expression as he felt he needed to turn this into something more than just him crying for the camera, explaining, “-You don’t know it yet, but I’ll be seeing you in less than a week, and with how I feel right now, it’s five days too long!”

“I’m flying out to surprise you, and you don’t have a _fahking clue_ …you told me you hate knowing about an upcoming surprise, so I’m just gonna show up on your doorstep the morning of your birthday…so I can spend a few days with you before almost two weeks of having to be apart again with the craziness of Christmas!” Chris said, breaking down the plan, mainly to get it off his chest along with his sudden onset of ‘little black rain cloud’ that had him an emotional wreck in that moment. “And I just decided that I’m pulling out of Brian’s wedding, so I can spend the last few hours of our first Christmas with you, because it’s _killing me_ that we’re _**not**_ gonna be together. He’s not gonna like me backing out now, but I never should have been one of his groomsmen in the first place…he’s much closer to Scotty and Shanna than he is with me, and I can’t **FAHKING** wait anymore! I’m flying into Vegas, and I’m surprising you…you don’t know about any of these plans, and I don’t know what _I’m doing_ , but what I _**DO**_ know? That I love you _so much_ I’m **_MISERABLE_** _without_ you, and the next few weeks are going to be _**FAHKING HELL**_!”

The tears were falling of their own accord now, hot and stinging as he full on wept, voice high and stretching thin while wiping his face free of tears.

“I know _you’re_ a _mess_ inside, I could see it in your eyes, Kay…you were standing there on the curb in my arms, and fighting so hard to keep the emotions in check…I think you thought this was the _last time_ we’d have to say goodbye at the airport before we get married, thinking you had to _stay strong for **me**_ , but _I know_ it’s affecting you the same **_fahking way_** it is me, babe.”

Taking a moment, Chris took three deep, steady breaths to get himself under control; he could feel his eyes were puffy and itchy after crying off and on so much over the last hour and some odd minutes, his nose was so congested he could only breathe through his open mouth, and he could feel the beginnings of a headache starting to form between his eyebrows. 

Another deep breath in, holding it and finally releasing, he forced one corner of his mouth to lift in a half-assed smile, admitting to the reflection of himself in the screen with a sad, soft and damp chuckle as he smoothed the growing scruff covering his chin and jaw, “I’m gonna give you the **_fahking world_** , and I know you’re gonna fight me **_every step of the way_** , telling me I’m spending _**too**_ much money…but I hate to tell you, I plan on spending _**a lot**_ of money on you this week, and you know what? There’s _**NOTHING**_ you can do about it!”

Tilting his head down at his lap, Chris felt an actual, honest to God smile spread across his face, and he laughed at the thought of Katie, arms crossed, glaring at him while tapping her foot and reminding him he spent too much on her **AGAIN**. 

Looking up, he gave the camera that lopsided smirk he knew she loved. “I have an _engagement ring_ to pick out still…I’m planning on looking this week, so we’ll see what I find, I guess…but, _this_ …I wanted you to see just _**how much**_ you _mean to me_ , so…”

Reaching forward he clicked the record button again, ending the recording for later, when he began splicing together the ‘movie’ that would cap off this ultimate surprise he was setting up.

* * *

It was just after one in the afternoon when Chris arrived in Anaheim, with Josh for company for the rest of the afternoon. They slipped into the original park relatively unnoticed and managed the better part of an hour before Chris was ‘spotted’ walking from Tomorrowland across the hub to Adventureland; it meant a few minutes signing autographs and taking pictures with fans before he and Josh could escape to the safety of the Tiki Room, and flag down a cast member to get assistance in moving about the park more easily.

“You feeling okay, man?” Josh asked as they waited for their ‘escort’ around the park in an alcove at the Tiki Room. Chris had been lost in his own thoughts, and shook himself out of the cloud engulfing his head to look at his friend with a raised eyebrow and look of confusion.

“ _Huh_? _What_?”

Josh just shook his head as he clapped a hand on Chris’ shoulder, patting him a few times as he went on saying, “You’re acting a little different today…I mean, I know _WHY_ you’re acting funny, but I’m just wondering if you’re…’ _okay_ ’?”

“Yeah…I mean, well…it’s just getting really hard…to keep doing this, ya know?” Chris admitted, lifting his right hand to rub across the back of his neck. “I just-” Chris began to speak but noticed a group of other park guests walk past the alcove on their way into the large room of the Polynesian hut for the show starting Walt Disney’s colorful menagerie of animatronic tropical birds, so he turned, facing his back towards the hallway to continue talking to Josh, “- _I just want her **HERE** …with **me**_. I’m sorry for being shitty company today, man… _nothing_ like being a drag in Disneyland, right?”

“I get it, bro…she’s a hell of a chick. That’s for sure! She fits right in with the rest of your crazy ass family!” Josh joked, trying to lighten the mood as he smacked Chris’ shoulder a couple more times. Looking Chris square in the eye, Josh smiled, adding, “Here’s hoping she mellows you out that last little bit and makes _MY_ job easier, you asshole…”

Chris chuckled, smiling and nodding in agreement as a soft cough sounded behind him, alerting him and Josh to the arrival of their ‘handler’; turning around, Chris smiled, extending his hand in greeting to the middle aged man in the familiar uniform.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Evans, what would you like to do first?” He asked. Chris looked at the name tag on his plaid vest, it read Dante-Hawaii.

[Originally posted by i-promise-one-day](https://tmblr.co/ZYpIDq1Yn9Uu_)

The remainder of the afternoon was spent following behind Dante, slipping onto rides, keeping a relatively low profile as they park hopped; the very last thing Chris made sure he did before leaving was stopping in at the Mad Hatter shop near the Main Street Train Station after one last trip on Space Mountain.

He walked in after Josh splintered of to grab snacks and drinks on the walk back up Main Street U.S.A. and went straight to the wall of Mickey Mouse ear hats, grabbing one of the classic black hats with the trademarked ears before turning to walk over to the register and embroidery station, but not before stopping in his tracks to to double take at the display of hats, showing the newest version of the ‘Bride and Groom’ designs; the left side of his face curled at the thought that in just over month, they’d most likely be wearing the ridiculous hats while on their ‘honeymoon’.

He had to wait only a moment as one of the two registers became available, and he stepped up, sliding the ears across the counter top to the middle aged woman.

She rang up the hat with a smile, telling Chris she saw him, but didn’t actually ‘see’ him as anything other than just another transaction. The cast member made the usual small talk as she tendered his payment, asking, “And what would you like embroidered, sir?”

“’Evans’. In the traditional font with the gold thread, please.” He told her softly, making sure to not draw attention to himself in the busy shop. There was a line of hats ahead of his, so Chris moved out of the way of the registers and kept himself busy by pulling his phone from his pocket to check-in with Katie.

**Hey Baby…how’s your night going?**

It was a minute before a response came in, vibrating his phone in his hand while checking emails.

**_Just wrapping up a party of four. It’s been a loooong day…what did you do after I left?_ **

Smiling down at the screen, Chris typed out his answer.

**Nothing much, a couple of little things around the house and hanging out with Josh all afternoon.**

**Are the bachelorettes behaving themselves?**

**_Not really haha  
_ **

**_This is a group that wanna only want to talk about you, so it’s been exhausting and they didn’t really like me not going out with them…but oh well, I have to work hella early tomorrow._ **

**Just a couple more days of that…oh yeah? You got my fan girls huh? I hope they’re at least being civil…**

_**They’ve been super curious, and somewhat invasive, but nothing I can’t handle, babe! I think they were expecting something…more.**_

_**They seem almost disappointed that I’m not ~MORE~ but hey, they tipped well, so I can’t complain!** _

**As long as they’re nice to you…**

_**Okay dad…you planning on coming to kick some ass if I tell you they weren’t? ;)** _

**Maybe…would you want me to?**

_**Would you wear the suit?** _

**Hahaha not in public!**

“ _Sir_ -” A voice called, making Chris look up from where he smiled down at the phone. The young woman manning the machine to inscribe names on the hats held out his ‘ears’ offering a small smile and a “-here you go…thanks again, have a magical night!”

“Thanks, you too.” Chris said as he took the folded hat and stuffed it into the small bag the other cast member had given him earlier before he headed out the door, spotting Josh just as he rounded the corner, coffees in hand and a bag of snacks pinned to his side under his arm.

His phone buzzed in his hand once more, and Chris checked what message Katie sent him.

_**Oh come on…not even for me? Let Cap out to play…** _

Chris chuckled, typing out a quick response before taking his coffee from Josh and walking out of the park.

**Excuse you, but what do you call what we did in my trailer back in Atlanta? If I don’t answer, I’m on the road babe xo**

It was an uneventful drive back north, and once he walked through the garage door, Chris checked his phone, finding messages from Katie.

_**I call *that* kinky shit that I don’t think Steve Rogers would have a CLUE how to pull off, is what I call THAT!** _

_**Okay, I’m driving too, and once I get back to my apartment, it’s shower, eat, and crash, so I love you, I’ll talk to you tomorrow Boomer. XXX** _

It was early, only seven o’clock in the evening, and Chris resigned himself to changing into sweats, grabbing a couple of beers and starting to work on editing the video.

When he looked up from his MacBook, he was surprised to see the night was passing quickly, as the clock on the kitchen wall read nearly 3:45 AM.

“ _Holy shit…_ ” He said softly, scrubbing his fingers into his eyes. He had gotten a rough edit put together and was halfway through a more ‘final’ edit, going back and forth between working on his computer and writing notes for the voice over he planned on recording, but seeing it was nearly time for Katie to be waking up and getting ready for her ridiculously early shift at the coffee shop, Chris decided to call his effort done for the ‘night’; moving the laptop to the coffee table, he stretched and yawned before picking up his phone to send her a text.

**Good morning Gorgeous. Hope you have a good shift, I’ll talk to you later today Baby.**

He headed down the hall to the bedroom, typing out a message to Josh, asking if he’d check the mail for the packages he was expecting before he headed over later in the day.

Flopping on the bed, Chris finally called it a day, and was soon fast asleep, missing Katie’s text once she woke up fifteen minutes later.

* * *

Sunday he spent most of the day sleeping, but once he woke up, his mission was to finish the video, and by 11 PM, he had ticked off his list of things to finish before his surprise trip, along with the package from the internet printing company, the package Carly had sent from back in Boston and two smaller packages from Etsy sitting on the dining table waiting to be wrapped for the decoy Christmas present as well as the parts and pieces of his ‘for real’ present…now he only had a handful of other items left to acquire before he could assemble both presents and breathe a sigh of relief…

Monday dawned, and Chris had a plan of attack for the day. He would be braving a trip to one of the bigger and higher profile malls down in Beverly Hills to procure the clincher of his main gift at the Apple Store, swinging by some of the jewelry stores there as well to look at rings before making his way over to Saks’s near Rodeo Drive for the last two big item on his list; Josh would be following in his wake, picking up the items to keep his ‘hands clean’ of the incriminating goods in the off chance he was spotted out and about…the last thing he needed was to be caught red handed with luxury brand heels and a handbag, let alone anything from the jewelry store so close to Christmas, and besides, Josh had another stop to purchase items Chris couldn’t be seen buying just yet…

The Beverly Center, with all the construction going on around the exterior, especially during the Christmas time rush, made Chris’ excursion hell. He had to actively fight for parking since the first few levels had been packed to the gills, and inside the mall was no different; thankfully, Josh had set up an appointment at Apple and he bypassed the majority of the people waiting to be attended to.

A pleasant twenty-something young woman named Stevie was the Genius he had been assigned to and she had been knowledgeable on her products, giving the pros and cons of each of the different iPads Chris looked at; she asked what the main function for the device would be, and they decided on the 9.7” Pro with the highest gigabyte storage available in Rose Gold to match Katie’s phone, compatible with cellular and Wi-fi, along with a tempered glass screen protector. The price tag had Chris flinching slightly, but handing over his credit card, he paid the total and got Stevie’s assistance in the basic setup to allow him to upload the things he wanted-the video, an assortment of pictures he’d gathered from friends, family and his co-stars that had been taken of them in the last few months along with a playlist he planned on making for her to listen to, songs that made him think of her…

With his cap pulled low and his shades on, Chris managed to blend in relatively well with the crowd as he snaked his way in and out of the Christmas shoppers on his way back to the parking garage, but as he approached the entrance to the most famous jewelry store, a feeling of eyes watching him had him abandoning his plan of stopping in at Tiffany’s to browse the rings.

‘ _Shit…_ ’ He thought as he pulled his hat lower, slouching his shoulders. Picking up his pace, Chris ducked out as quickly as he could towards the garage.

‘ _Fahk…at least they only found me with a bag from Apple, and luckily I didn’t go inside…shit! Are they gonna follow me? Should I go to Sak’s, or wait until tomorrow?_ ’ He pulled the keys from his pocket, clicking the fob to unlock his car as it came into view; the feeling was considerably less than before, but Chris wanted to be sure he was in the clear, so he made quick work of climbing aboard, getting settled and starting up the engine. The ‘normal’ amount of people walked about to and from the doors to Macy’s, but just to be on the safe (and evasive) side, Chris decided on taking the long route to the Saks Fifth Ave. on Wilshire.

[Originally posted by marveltho](https://tmblr.co/ZUEoHs1z_WLBv)

“Hello Sir, how may I help you?”

It was almost instantaneous, the welcome Chris received when he walked in. A chic older women close in age to his mother greeted him. Taking stock of how he was dressed, in jeans, a thermal long sleeve shirt with a faded old flannel layered over it and his beat up ol’ Red Sox cap, he figured he stuck out like a sore thumb, causing this woman to mark him and keep a close eye on him under the guise of offering her assistance.

“Hi, so I, _ummm_ -” He answered rather sheepishly as he reached to pull off his sunglasses, letting this woman recognize him if she even knew who he was, but mainly to show his uncertainty in exactly what it was he was hoping to pick out, with his nervous habit of rubbing the back of his neck as he made an embarrassed face, telling her, “-I have a _couple of things_ I need to pick out for a special lady in my life, and I honestly don’t have a fahking…oh, _shit_ … _I’m sorry_ …”

The older woman in front of Chris, tried to stifle her chuckle behind one hand while the other reached out and touched his arm in reassurance.

“It’s alright, young man. Maybe, keep it down, though…not all the patrons shopping will appreciate the colorful language…my name is Susan-” she introduced herself with a smile once she got herself under control. “- _So_ , **_what_** would you like to start with?”

“Well Susan…I wanted to look into buying a pair of those high heels-” Chris said, pointing towards the ground, “-ya know…the ones with the red soles? And I was thinking maybe a designer bag? Can you help me with that?” Chris admitted with a chagrined look. 

This was definitely out of his comfort zone, and yes, if he had his Ma, his sisters or hell, even Scott with him, this might have been easier, but Chris had a pretty good idea of the things Katie liked along with her ‘personal style’, so it was really only a matter of finding something that jumped out at him, saying, ‘ _That’s got my Baby written all over it!_ ’

“ ** _Of course_**! Follow me, dear…” Susan instructed, waving Chris along to follow in her wake towards the Louboutin shop inside the building. Looking back over her shoulder, Susan smiled, asking, “Did you have an idea of the style of shoe you were looking to purchase…what’s your name, dear?”

“ _Shi_ …sorry, Chris. My name is Chris.” He flubbed, embarrassed at how nervous he was just picking out high end heels and a purse for the woman he loved, causing his anxiety at having to pick out an engagement ring to shoot through the roof… _’If I’m THIS flustered picking out shoes and a bag she’s not even going to be wearing everyday for the rest of her fahking life, HOW am I going to manage to find a ring she’ll love?_ ’ he thought as he fidgeted, pushing the bill of his hat up slightly to look around before adding, “ _Ummm_ …well, we stopped by the store, the brand store…what do you call ‘em again?”

_“Louboutin, Christian Louboutin…”_

“Yeah, **that** …” He laughed nervously, pointing at the nice lady he was sure would be making quite the commission off him once all was said and done that afternoon…”I mean, _I_ wear ‘em on occasion…the guy’s collection, that is…but that’s **_ALL_** my stylist… _I_ just put ‘em on!” He chuckled, feeling the need to explain himself to Susan before going on to say, “Well, we stopped in the store at the shops in Caesar’s Palace a couple of months ago, and I caught my girl _**mesmerized**_ by these _killer heels_ just _covered_ in _rhinestones_ …”

“ _Ahhh_ …” Susan nodded, knowingly. “I know **just** what you’re looking for, Chris… _come on_ -” She motioned for him to keep up, asking, “-why don’t you tell me _a little bit_ about her, it will help me in steering you in the right direction for a purse?”

Blowing out a breath, Chris couldn’t help the grin that curled the corners of his mouth as he thought about Katie.

“She’s a fah…she’s _something else_ … _that’s for sure_!” He chuckled, smoothing down the short bristles growing into his preferred winter facial hair landscape. “She’s… _maaan_ , _how_ can I describe her? She’s sweet, caring, and warm, my family loves her, she’s funny, keeps me on my toes!” He laughed as he tried to keep his description in generic terms to protect Katie’s privacy if Susan decided to talk to the pap’s, but to give some depth to her character, “One minute she’s all bravado, with personality for days and bowls you over with the force of ‘ _HER_ ’, but the next minute she’s small and vulnerable, she’s just…she’s _both sides of the coin_ and I’ve **_never_** known _anybody_ like her…”

“Sounds like she’s truly special…”

“ _She is_ , Susan. She means the world to me!”

“ _I’d say so_ , if you’re buying her designer heels and a handbag, Chris!” Susan laughed, leading Chris into the smaller boutique to confirm the style of shoe and find the right size to be purchased.

[Originally posted by elegantly-fashion](https://tmblr.co/Z_ThKw212fzpT)

By the time Chris stood up at a cash register, waiting for the damage this shopping trip had caused, Chris had texted Josh to not worry about coming behind him to pick up his purchases, he’d just take them himself, but he still needed him to stop at Target to pick up the last few (incriminating) items on the list along with a couple of rolls of wrapping paper.

“ _Well_ , my dear… _here_ are your bags, and your receipt!” Susan smiled widely across the counter at him, handing over two decently sized bags emblazoned with the Saks Fifth Ave. logo. “I hope you have a _lovely_ Holiday Season, and hopefully someday you’ll bring that special girl in here to shop in person…I’d _love_ to meet her!”

Chris chuckled out a laugh, nodding.

[Originally posted by futuresuperwoman](https://tmblr.co/ZKHA8j2Dls5Kt)

“It _might_ take some convincing, Susan…she’ll have a _heart attack_ over **_how much_** money I just spent on _her_!”

“That just means she’s _even more_ of a keeper, dear!” Susan said with wink and a touch to Chris’ wrist before adding, “Best of luck and Happy Holidays, Cap. You’re secret’s safe with me.”

It had better have been, since before he knew it while wandering between different high end label’s boutique shops, Chris found he was talking about the anxiety of shopping for the perfect ring; Susan had been discreet with her diversion towards the jewelry department to let Chris meander while giving her advice on stone cuts as well as settings. He had a better idea of what he was in for now, but knew he still didn’t have enough information to go off of from Katie herself before selecting a ring, so he moved on, back to scouring purse after purse, bag after bag, finally settling on the classic, simple and chic style of something his personal shopper savant proclaimed was an Antigona by Givenchy. 

Chris knew he’d be spending money with the items on his ‘list’ that morning when he woke up, but hearing the price of this handbag, he couldn’t help but choke slightly, added to the price of the high heels…he knew he was in for another of Katie’s infamous _‘You spent **HOW MUCH** money on me, Christopher Robert?_’ speeches, but he was prepared for it, and couldn’t wait to see her face when she realized exactly _what_ her new shoes and bag were…Rounding out the small fortune he spent on his future bride were a pair of her own Ray Ban Wayfarer’s.

Waving awkwardly with one bag hanging from his hand, Chris waved at Susan as he headed out the back door into the private lot, his parking stub freshly validated.

He stepped out of the doors, eyes flicking from left to right from behind the safety of his sunglasses, but he caught no sign of paparazzi and let out a sigh of relief; he fobbed his car unlocked, and stowed the bags before climbing in and heading home.

* * *

Sitting on the couch, Chris was back at work on shifting through music and photos on his Macbook when Josh walked through the door; he held four tubes of wrapping paper pinned between his arm and side, that Chris had okayed via picture, and carried two full to bursting reusable red cloth bags that made a muted jangling sound when Josh set them on the dining table with the other items to be wrapped for Katie’s presents…the Christmas presents for everybody else sat piled off to the side, awaiting their turns.

“I hope you _appreciate_ all the shit _I_ do for _you_ , Evans…” Josh mumbled and grumbled as he pulled his sweatshirt off to not overheat in the house.

“Why? What happened?” Chris asked with a grin. He could only imagine…

“After the sixth person stopped me to comment on the contents of my cart and to congratulate me for taking starting a family so seriously, I finally just gave up and started telling people it was for a Yankee swap. These fahking West Coasters…they all looked at me like I had three fahking heads…so after the fourth person said, ‘ _What’s a ‘Yankee swap’?_ ’-” Josh spat out, making air quotes around his words before dropping his hands back to his sides angrily, “-I finally gave up, and told ‘em it was a damn white elephant exchange and threw a couple of towels over everything…so, **_Merry Christmas_**! I bought you towels!”

Chris laughed out loud, his head falling backwards as he said, “Thanks bro, but my ol’ lady beat you to it! She bought me those big ones that will actually wrap around you completely…but guest towels are always a good thing to have, right?”

“ _Duuuude…_ ” Josh called and Chris turned to look over the back of the couch at his longtime friend, fighting a smile when he found Josh, looking at him with forehead lifted high, and his arms held out to his sides. “ _Next time_ , **_you’re_** buying this shit **_yourself_**! I don’t wanna see another Ovulation test, Pregnancy test **OR** Prenatal vitamin box for a **_VERY_** long time!”

Chris burst out laughing all over again when a box of the vitamins in question came flying across the room straight at his head; he caught the box and told Josh to reward himself with a cold one, adding, “But **DON’T** touch my pasta! I’ll kick your ass, bro!”

Twenty minutes later, with Josh sitting next to him, Chris was taking a break from making a playlist to put on the iPad when his phone vibrated on the coffee table next to his foot.

**_I found your Christmas present._ **

That was all Katie’s message read, at least, until a picture accompanying it came through. Cackling, Chris’ head fell back onto the edge of the couch behind him, his hand, still holding the phone, moved to pound against his chest once he saw what the picture consisted of…

**What are you trying to tell me there Tinkerbell?**

_**It’s covered in sparklies! This is one piece of Patriots merch I’d be okay with owning! Haha** _

**Where is that? What are you doing?**

Chris checked the time; it was nearly 7PM, and he knew she still had two more ‘opening shifts’ at Starbucks left to complete.

_**Christmas shopping.**_

_**I saw some stuff in the Forum Shops the other day, and just walked past the Sports Memorabilia store…this wasn’t on display in the front window earlier, otherwise I would have sent it to you.** _

**I went Christmas shopping today too.**

Chris smiled down at the screen, unable to stop himself from sprinkling a few tiny breadcrumbs about his plans, so he typed away…

**Had a few things to pick up for you, my love…your presents should arrive on Thursday, so…be on the lookout. ;)**

_**I’m gonna have to ship stuff on Thursday so it gets back to Ma’s house in time, nothing like spending time at the Post Office on your birthday, right?** _

_**Also, you better not have spent a shit ton of money on me, Mr.!** _

Chris could only sit laughing himself silly as he stared at the screen of his phone, the little flashing dots telling him that Katie was probably freaking out with his silence on the subject, and he was correct as her next few texts came rolling in…

_**CHRISTOPHER ROBERT EVANS!** _

_**HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO DROP A FORTUNE ON ME?!?!?!** _

**It’s Christmas, I’m allowed to spoil you with expensive shit if I damn well want to, woman!**

_**Leave some of it in the Money Bin there Scrooge! We have college tuition’s to think about down the line!** _

**Oh shush! Btw-thanks a lot you jerk! Now I wanna watch Duck Tales!**

_**I would say Prime that shit, but in a couple of weeks, you’ll be adding all my Disney movies to your collection, so…rain check on a Disney Afternoon marathon?** _

_**Stay in comfies all day, fresh cookies, hot cocoa, cuddling under a blanket and singing along with the theme songs?** _

**DEAL!**

**_OK Boomer. I gotta go…I’ll call you when I get home, okay?_ **

**Looking forward to it Tinkerbell. Drive safe! X**

_**Ttyl XxX** _

* * *

Standing in the Sports Memorabilia shop in the Forum Shopping center, I tucked my phone into my purse as the man behind the counter wrapped up my purchase, handing over the bag containing the autographed football and the collectors case along with my receipt. This the last thing I needed to finish putting together Chris’ gift so I could mail it and the presents for my soon to be in-laws out in time to arrive before Christmas.

Heading back out into the themed mall, I made my way along the walkway back to the casino and the parking structure to head home. It was getting close to my bedtime for my super early alarm, and I had to keep repeating over and over in my head, ‘ _Two more days…two more ridiculous alarms, and then you’re done…at least until we have kids…_ ’

It was almost 10PM by the time I finally managed to get to bed that night, after getting home close to quarter to 8, then winding down while talking to Chris…he finally made me hang up and call it a night once he saw what time it was with the promise of talking in the morning.

That second to last shift was a crazy one, with the other opener calling out, the overnight had been busier than usual, and we just couldn’t seem to get caught up, so it made for a long and tiring day, but luckily, I didn’t have to go into the salon that day, so I able to go home after my shift at the coffee shop and relax…and by ‘relax’, I wrapped presents, and decided to put up my Christmas tree under the guise of ‘needing to reorganize and safely pack’ my ornament collection for when I moved.

Being a December Baby, and knowing I would be spending a few days before and after Christmas at my mom and stepdad’s house, it was kind of a waste in the practical sense, but I just didn’t feel right with the space between the sliding patio door and the fireplace unoccupied…the fact I had gone this long without putting it up was a true testament to just how crazy my life had been recently.

Chris had lived up to his word, and we spent most of the afternoon on the phone either talking or Face Timing while I repacked and organized my Christmas decorations as well as sorting through clothes from my closet and dressers, making piles to to donate, keep or trash.

It was another conversation like the one we had on the couch only a few nights before, where one of us would pick a topic, and we just let the conversation take on its own organic flow as we covered all different things from the latest tweets NASA had released to a recipe I had stumbled across and wanted to make for him to how the football games had played out on Sunday…it was a natural shorthand we were beginning to decipher between ourselves and any pauses were easy and comfortable, only awkward when we intended for comedic effect.

“Did I tell you Stevie Nicks is gonna be at the Monte Carlo on Saturday?” I said, grinning slightly as I peeked up from giving a t-shirt the once over before tossing it to the Donation pile. “I’d _love_ to see her in concert…I’d _LOVE_ to see Fleetwood Mac if they ever did a reunion tour again!” I sighed wistfully, chuckling softly as I stopped and turned to look at his face on the screen of my phone, telling him, “My cousin Nicole…she **_LOVES_** Stevie Nicks! She’s her absolute hero, and I told her about this concert and she straight up started crying! I saw my first concert with her…my mom-” I felt my grin spread across my face, my cheeks hurting at the memory that came rushing back, “- _well_ , she got two tickets to see *N SYNC at the Shoreline Amphitheater, late summer of… _’99_? _I think it was ‘99_ …and my cousin Nicole found out, and threw a fit, because she wanted to see them too!”

Chris was grinning as he lifted his beer to his lips for a sip.

“So, my mom called back for another ticket, but could only buy general admission, up on the lawn! She was so upset, but she took the lawn seat, and Nicole, who’s like five months younger than you, babe…well, Coco sat with me, like two rows behind the soundboard and just off center stage, and we met Joey’s brother! He was there before the show! That was a fun night…we saw them the next two summers, up in Oakland at the Raiders coliseum…had terrible seats that second show, and better seats the third time, but… _maaan_ , they put on a **_fantastic show_**!” I smiled, remembering the fun I had with my mother, my cousin, and eventually my best friend and her mom and stepdad. “I’d _kill_ to catch Justin in concert, solo. That man’s a **performer**!”

“You know he’s married to my ex, right?” Chris asked, his face showing the awkwardness of the situation. “Got a kid and…”

“I’m sorry, babe.. _.I forgot_!” I apologized, realizing how bad that must have come across, me fawning and making a big ‘to-do’ over the man that had locked it down with my fiancee’s ‘first big love’…”I’m so out of it right now, and that shouldn’t be an excuse… ** _I’m sorry_**!”

“It’s _okay…I mean,_ Jess and I were over a _looong_ time ago…” Chris admitted with a shrug, “I mean, we’re still on friendly terms, but it’s _awkward as fahk_ when **_my_** fiancee is drooling over **_my ex’s husband_** _right in front of **me**_ …”

“ _Yeeeeeah…_ ” I sighed guiltily, grimacing as I looked at him, “That’s my bad… _I’m sorry_ …forgive me?”

He lifted his bottle once more for a sip, giving me a thumbs up after he lowered it from his lips.

“You getting _excited_ for Disney World?” I asked, slightly jealous as I changed the subject but knowing he’d have fun with his family one last time before getting married.

“ _Yeah_ , but I wish **you** could go with us…” Chris stated softly, his face tinged with sadness, “You’ve **_never_** been, right?”

“ _Nope_ -” I agreed with a lopsided smirk “- _only_ Disneyland for me…I’ll be with you _next year_ though…”

“ _Not if you’re pregnant! Or if we have a newborn!_ ” He said incredulously before softening, and adding, “I’ll take you, babe…one of these days, I’ll take you… _this is a tradition I plan on continuing with our family!_ ”

“ _They don’t have my favorite of the ‘original’ rides anymore though!_ ” I pointed out, whining just a smidge because I could. Chris chuckled as he looked at me with his eyebrow raised.

“And _which_ one might that be, Princess?”

“Mr. Toad! That’s one of my favorite shorts, and I _always_ have to take a picture with the Toady statue in the line at Disneyland! I’ve been taking pictures with that statue since I was ** _little_** …and since they closed off the staircase in New Orleans Square to general admission guests, I can’t get more pictures on them, or start ** _that_** tradition with our kids…”

“That just means we gotta find our own spot, Kay. Are you almost done? You’re gonna have to get to bed soon… _last day_! Are you nervous?”

Pausing, I stopped to think for a moment while taking a sip off my beer, reflecting on all the things I felt. Shaking my head from side to side, I grinned.

“No, ** _excited_**! _No more_ having to wake up **_before_** 4AM anymore!” I laughed.

“No…you’ll be _going to bed_ then, **_I’ll_** make sure of it!” Chris joked with a wink which made me giggle that much harder.

“ _You’re bad…_ ”

“No, I’m not, you have first hand knowledge that I’m not!” He snickered. “Do you think they’ll do anything special for you tomorrow?”

Shrugging, I answered, “ _Maybe_ …they do for all the people they _like_. I’m not expecting anything, so… _we’ll see_. If they _do_ , it’ll probably be the ‘ _kids_ ’…they’re my little chicks, I ‘mother hen’ them most…”

“They _better_ do _something_ for you…or I’ll have to go in and have a little talk with your manager when I get there, babe…”

Chuckling, I admitted, “There are a few people that would **_LOVE_** to meet you… _maybe_ we could stop in, before we leave Vegas?” I had been thinking about doing something nice for the coworkers I had spent so much time with in the last few years, kids I had seen graduate high school, start college, turn the legal drinking age…they had become my little surrogate family and my brothers and sisters…

“ _We’ll see_ , babe…”


End file.
